in pursuit of wild things

Last week kept us busy. With my husband just returning from Europe I really wanted a few days of quiet but not everything can go as desired. I generally need a couple of days to decompress after my mother visits. My stress levels were running kinda high after she left and it took me several days to shake off the hurt and angry feelings.

On Thursday I met one of my long time blogging friends Ellie from New Creations Ministries along with her husband and the adorable Mr. No-no! They were passing through Kentucky and stayed at a campground just minutes from my house. The kids played in the pool and we chatted like

old friends for a few hours. I was a little nervous at first (I brought bacon over for supper to a nutritionist!!!) but she was just as awesome and authentic as I assumed she would be from reading her blog and book. The kids loved the pool at the campground and are hoping someone else we know will stay there! I did get a picture with Ellie that I will treasure (even if the humidity was horrible and our hair lost volume!). But I could kick myself for not getting a picture of Mr. No-no…he is the cutest mound of white fluff and so sweet in temperament.

Over the weekend a few of my husband’s friends from university days stopped to visit. We enjoyed their stay with us and the kids had fun playing with new friends for the evening. Sparkles wasn’t feeling well but she did her best to be social anyway. We though she

was experiencing pains from her uc but it turns out she…um…crossed the threshold into womanhood. I was happy that her discomfort was not caused by some food that were going to have to investigate all CSI like but really sad that she wasn’t so little anymore. I did cry myself to sleep that night.

Our friend Cindy stayed the night with us and since I had a rare Sunday off from work we headed out to spend the day at the zoo in Cincinnati. She totally spoils us and the kids and Littlest was already asking me this morning when she was coming back.

We’re still just doing half days of school this week…full days are just not in me yet. No one is complaining about it either.

I cracked open a couple of books this week during my reading time. The first is “Far Away in the West: Reflections on the Mormon Pioneer Trail”, which tells the story of the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo to their new home in the west. I plan to read a couple of chapters to the kids during our study of western expansion but wanted to finish the rest of the book myself. My second book is “Finding God in the Body: A Spiritual Path for the Modern West” and has been on my reading

wish list for a while. I read an interview with him several months ago and I just felt drawn to what he had to say about Jesus and everyday spirituality. Every paragraph has something to mull over so it will take me a while to read through it.

I had planned for next Monday to be our first full and official day of school…maybe? We used to go out for breakfast but we haven’t really done anything to mark our first day of the year since moving. I need to come up with something to mark our first day…ideas anyone?

baseball game my husband went to for a work meeting

meeting Ellie

Friends from college…and me. Not sure that I belonged in this picture

on the road with Cindy

on the train

Middle Boy

zoo flowers

such a pretty flower

Sparkles needed extra mom-time this week

I have no idea what I was thinking when my husband snapped this picture…